A Promise
by Ruri-Kaichou
Summary: My own little version of Chiriko's life before meeting the others. It's a little romance in his life.


Author's note: I was inspired to write this fic: one, because I just love Chiriko. Two, there aren't many fics written about him. And three, I wanted to write something where there was a little love in his life ^^  
  
Disclaimer: Chiriko and all the other FY characters do not belong to me. They belong to Yuu Watase-san. Mia and all the other characters were created by me. Please no stealing.  
~~~  
  
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, not a cloud in sight and the wind was blowing a soft breeze. I stood in front of the tree and looked at the letter in my hands. I closed my eyes and remembered.  
~~~  
"Mia-chan! Time to wake up!" I heard Nee-chan say.  
I woke up, "Ha~i."My name is Mia. I am 12 years old and I have brown hair and brown eyes. I live with Kaa-san, Tou-san, Nii-chan, and Nee-chan. After I got dressed, I went downstairs to the table and hugged Nee-chan, Kaa-san and Tou-san. "Ohayo!"  
"Ohayo, Mia-chan." They said.  
I sat at the table as Nii-chan came in, "Ohayo."  
"Ohayo," We all said.  
Then, Kaa-san served the rice and we ate breakfast. After finishing, I went over to Kaa-san. "What is it Mia-chan?"  
"Kaa-san? May I go next door?" I asked.  
"As long as you come back in time for lunch." She said.  
"Hai!" And I went outside. It was so beautiful outside. Right now I'm going over to my best friend's house. He lives right next door, which is really good. We met each other about two years ago; he was going home when I was leaving home and he was carrying a whole bunch of books. Since then we've been friends. When I got to the door, I knocked and waited.  
The door opened and I saw his mother, "Yes?"  
I bowed, "Ohayo gozaimasu, Baa-san. May I go see Doukun?"  
"Ah, Mia-chan. Of course. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you." She led me inside. Doukun's mother is very nice and sweet just like Kaa-san. She pointed to his study room, "He should be in there."  
"Arigato!" And I went and knocked.  
"Come in," he said.  
I came in, "Ohayo, Chiko-kun!" That's my nickname for him, Chiko-kun. One day we were talking and I asked him about the red mark on his foot. He told me that it was a symbol saying he was a Suzaku Seishi. He also said that his Seishi name was Chiriko. That's why I nicknamed him Chiko-kun.  
He turned from his desk and smiled, "Ohayo, Mia-chan." I love it when he smiles at me. He's so nice; not like some other boys I know. And I think he's the best looking, too. He has light brown hair that he puts into a high ponytail and pretty green eyes.  
I went over to him, "Ne, are you studying again?"  
He smiled, "Yes, the examinations are in two days."  
I nodded. Chiko-kun is one year older than I am and he's so smart. He's already trying for exams for a government position or something like that. And he already passed the first test. I'm so proud of him. He's leaving tomorrow to go and take the second exam, so I wanted to visit him before he left. "Well, I was wondering if you could take a break!"  
He nodded, "Sure, a break wouldn't hurt." He rolled up the scroll he was writing in and took out a book. I sat next to him. Almost everyday, Chiko-kun and I would read for a while together. It's so fun! And the days we don't read, we just talk.  
"Can we just talk today?" I asked as he opened the book we were in the middle of reading.  
He looked at me, "Sure." And he closed it again. "What do you want to talk about?"  
"Well, could you tell me more about the Suzaku no Miko and the Seishi?"  
"Ok," he started. "Well, there is a scroll called the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho that all four empires received from the creator of the universe. And when the country is in danger a girl from another world is summoned in order to summon the god."  
"How do you know that the miko will come?"  
He lifted his clothes to show me his foot. His symbol was glowing, "You know when the Seishi are born."  
"So that means that the Suzaku no Miko will be coming?" Chiko-kun nodded. "Sugoi. How many Seishi are there?"  
"Seven."  
"Why seven?"  
Chiko-kun pulled out a scroll and opened it. It was a scroll of the stars. "You see, there are 28 main constellations in the sky and they are divided into four areas. North, south, east and west." He pointed to the scroll. "Which means that there are 7 constellations in each area. That's why there are seven Seishi for each god."  
"I see," I said as I looked at the scroll. Then I looked at him, "Do you know the other six Seishi?"  
Chiko-kun shook his head, "No, I only know their names. Hotohori, Tasuki, Nuriko, Chichiri, Tamahome, and Mitsukake."  
"Soka. How do you summon the god?"  
"Well, all seven Seishi have to be present. And through a ceremony, the miko summons the god."  
"Oh~."  
"Mia-chan~! Your mother is calling for you!" I heard Baa-san say.  
"Hai!" Then I turned to Chiko-kun, "Ne, I'll see you in a couple days." I kissed his cheek, "Gambatte!"  
"Arigato..." he said.  
I smiled and left. For the next few days, I helped around the house and prayed that Chiko-kun did well on his exams. About a week later, Chiko-kun came over to the house. I went to greet him and he smiled. "I passed!"  
"WAI!!" I hugged him, "Congratulations Chiko-kun! I knew you could pass!"  
He laughed, "Arigato! I just have to do one more exam!"  
"Doukun!" We heard his mother call.  
"Hai, Okaa-san, I'm coming." He turned to me, "I'll see you tomorrow."  
I nodded and he left.  
The next day I rushed over to his house, "Ne! Have you heard! The Suzaku no Miko was found! Now you can go join her and the others to save Konan!" Then I looked at Chiko-kun, he was staring at his book. "Ne, what's wrong? I thought you would be happy with the thought."  
He smiled, "I am. Hey, could you leave me alone for a while? I have a lot of studying to do."  
I blinked, "Daijoubu, Chiko-kun?"  
He looked at me and smiled, "Hai, daijoubu desu. I just have a lot of studying to do."  
"Well, ok." I turned to leave. "Good luck." When I left his house, I sat under a tree and thought about what just happened. Something was bothering him, I know it. But why won't he tell me then?  
Nee-chan found me still sitting under the tree and came over, "Mia-chan? What's wrong?"  
I shook my head, "Nothing. But I think something's bothering Chiko-kun and I can't figure it out."  
She sat down next to me, "Well, maybe he needs to figure it out on his own before telling you."  
I looked down, "I guess you could be right. It's just that he usually tells me everything and it sort of bothers me that he's not."  
Nee-chan smiled, "Just give him a few days." She got up, "Besides, it's nice knowing that you two have such an understanding relationship. Marriage should be no problem when you guys are old enough!"  
"Nee-chan!" I could feel myself blushing, "We're not going to get married!"  
She laughed and helped he up, "Let's go eat dinner."  
I waited a couple days before I went to go see Chiko-kun again. I knocked on the door and this time he answered the door. "Mia-chan!"  
"Hi, Chiko-kun."  
"Come in." Inside, I sat down and watched as he closed him books. "How are your studies coming along?"  
He shrugged, "It's going pretty good." He sighed.  
"What's wrong?"  
He shook his head, "Nothing."  
"Chiko-kun, something is bothering you. What is it?" I asked.  
He sighed again, "I wish I wasn't a Suzaku Seishi."  
I blinked, "Why not? It's such an honor."  
He nodded, "It is, but I'm not worthy of being a Seishi. I can't do much, because I'm so weak."  
"That's not true!" I exclaimed. "You're so smart and nice! You'll be lots of help!"  
Chiko-kun shrugged. "Look at this." He showed his symbol which was glowing red and then it disappeared.  
I looked up and saw that he somehow changed. He looked very scared and frightened and something else that I could make out. I looked down again and the symbol appeared again. Once again I looked at him and his expression slightly changed again. "What happened?"  
"Whenever my symbol disappears, I become a normal child. I don't have my intelligence and I'm always afraid. It's only when the symbol lights up that I have the intellect. The others are probably so much more helpful than me."  
"But didn't you say that all seven Seishi have to be present in order to summon the god? How can they do that if you're not there? See? You are important!"  
He looked down, "I guess."  
"Is that why you were so sad the past few days?" I asked curiously. He nodded. "Daijoubu Chiko-kun! You're very important!" I smiled.  
He looked at him and smiled back. "I've been studying the stars and they speak of great danger for the miko and Seishi." He said suddenly.  
"Eh? If they're in danger, shouldn't you go and try to save them?"  
"I wouldn't know how. I can't fight or do magic."  
I crossed my arms, "You're so smart I know you'll think of something."  
"Really?"  
I nodded. "Suzaku Seishi Chiriko, go fulfill your destiny!" I said.  
He paused and stared at me, "You're right, Mia-chan! I have to do what I can! I'll go now!" He got up and began getting ready to leave. Suddenly, I felt sad. I didn't think he would leave right away. I followed him as he explained to his mother, "Okaa-san, I have to do this."  
She nodded, "I understand Doukun." She touched his cheek and looked lovingly at him.  
His father came in and put his hand on Chiko-kun's shoulder. "You will make us proud no matter what son."  
He nodded and went outside, where a carriage was waiting. I followed him. "Can't I go with you?"  
Chiko-kun shook his head, "Iie. You should stay here and be safe. It may be dangerous when I get there." My eyes filled with tears. "Daijoubu Mia-chan, I'll come back. Yakusoku da yo." He hugged me, got in the carriage and left.  
I stood there as the carriage went farther away. I felt a hand on my shoulder . I looked up to Nii-chan. "Nii-chan!"  
"So he's finally fulfilling his destiny. It's about time, too." He said.  
"He just had things to think about that's all," I said in his defense. Then I sighed, "I hope he'll be ok."  
Nii-chan didn't say anything but he walked with me to the house.  
Several days later, a letter came for me and it was from Chiko-kun! He wrote me saying that he stopped a Seiryuu Seishi from killing the Suzaku Seishi, but the ceremony was destroyed. He said that the Seiryuu Seishi was pretending to be him and was ordered to kill the miko and everyone else. And since the ceremony was destroyed, he said that they had to find another way in summoning Suzaku. He told me about the other Seishi and what they were like.   
"The Miko is nice and kind-hearted. She's in love with one of the Seishi, Tamahome. He's very strong and noble. Hotohori-sama is the Emperor. He's very kind-hearted as well. Chichiri is a monk and he's very wise. He trained with Taiitsukun in magic for several years. Nuriko is very nice and brotherly. He's very strong as well, but it doesn't look like it when you first look at him because he's smaller than some of the other Seishi. Mitsukake is a very skilled doctor. He can heal people with his power. He's very quiet but very kind. Tasuki is a bandit. I was a little scared of him at first, but he's actually not so bad. On the outside he may be tough, but inside he's just as kind as the others. In a way, he looks after me and make sure I'm not in too much danger."  
But, "I'm glad that was over with," he wrote. "I was a little scared but I knew what I had to do. I had to stop the Seiryuu Seishi from killing them. I saw Taiitsukun, the creator of the universe! And she gave all of us a holy object. Mine was a holy scroll. We're going to have to be traveling to Tolan to find a Shinzahou. This might be the only letter I can write to you until we get the Shinzahou. Take care, Mia-chan. Things are getting very dangerous and I hope you are safe. I haven't forgotten my promise.  
Chiriko"  
A shadow towered over me and I saw Nii-chan smirking at me, "Look at that, Mia-chan's first love letter."  
"Chigau!" I hid the letter behind my back, "That's not it!"  
He headed out the door, "Hai, hai." But I heard him laughing when he got outside.  
Days, weeks, and months past and he never wrote. I was very worried and I prayed everyday for his and his friends' safety. I didn't know what was going on and how his journey was going. Everything seemed to get worse in the country. More and more Kutou soldiers were appearing and attacking. Then one day, when I was looking out the window, several Konan soldiers were approaching his house. I got up and went out of the house. When I was half way there, I could here the soldier speak, "Sumimasen, but we have some sad news. Your son, Suzaku Seishi Chiriko, has been killed." Baa-san gasped. I was frozen where I was.  
Jii-san stood next to Baa-san, "What happened?"  
"We don't know much, but we know that he had sacrificed himself in order to save the others. He was a very brave boy."  
They both nodded and Baa-san started crying. Jii-san held her and tried to calm her.  
The soldier bowed, "Ja, we'll be going."  
He nodded, "Thank you for telling us." As the soldiers turned to leave, Jii-san saw me standing there and his eyes widened and saddened. Baa-san also saw me and they both went toward me. "Mia-chan..." she said.  
Then I was able to speak, "Uso! It's not true! It can't be!!" I was screaming so loud that my family came out as well, "He can't be dead!!" I felt Kaa-san's arms around me. I held her tight and started crying, "Iya~~!! He promised! He said he would be back!" I kept crying.  
Kaa-san looked at Tou-san and he came over, picked me up and took me into the house. The others stayed to console Baa-san and Jii-san. Tou-san sat down and just cradled me while I was crying. "Shh~~ it's okay, Mia-chan." He said.  
I shook my head, "It'll never be okay. My best friend isn't here anymore. Tou-san, it's not fair!"  
"Yes, it's not fair, but that's how it turns out to be sometimes."  
"Tou-san, it hurts so much." I cried.  
He patted my head, "I know, but in time, I won't hurt as much."  
The funeral for Chiko-kun was several days after we got the news. I didn't shed one tear, but I didn't feel anything as well. Just a cold emptiness. I have mourned for several months after the funeral. I couldn't help missing him so much. I didn't eat as much and didn't do things as much. Everyone became worried about me and encouraged me to go out or do something.  
Then one day while I was outside, I saw two men approaching me. One had light blue hair and the other had orange hair. I stood as they came closer. "Are you Mia, no da?" the light blue haired man asked me.  
I nodded, "Hai."  
The two inclined their head and I bowed, "I'm Chichiri, no da. And that's Tasuki."  
My eyes widened, "You're Suzaku Seishi!"  
Tasuki nodded, "Yeah, we came here because Chiriko asked us to come here and explain things to ya."  
I looked down. "Explain what things? He's gone."  
Chichiri nodded, "That's true, no da. But he wanted us to tell you the whole story, no da."  
I looked at them as they sat down and I sat down as well. Then I listened to their story.  
Later that night I was looking out the window thinking about the story the two Seishi had told me, when I saw something coming towards me. "Mia-chan," it said.  
As it became clearer I was able to see who it was, "Chiko-kun!" My eyes filled with tears.  
He smiled, "Hi."  
I ran over to him and hugged him, "Chiko-kun! I miss you so much!"  
He hugged back, "I miss you, too. But, we can't change the past."  
I clung to him. "I know what you did was brave, but still, sometimes I wish you didn't go. I just wish you didn't go and instead stayed here with me."  
Chiko-kun looked at me in the eyes, "Live your life for me and you Mia-chan. I'll be watching over you. Be happy. And we'll see each other again someday, ok?"  
I nodded, "Promise?"  
He nodded. And then he started disappearing, "I promise."  
"Chiko-kun!" I yelled.  
"I promise we'll see each other again Mia-chan. Yaksoku." Then he disappeared. At that moment I woke up.  
~~~  
That was many years ago. I clung to that dream all these years. I have lived my life for him and me. I traveled everywhere and saw many things. But I never married. People say that I'm an old maid and that I should have married when I had the chance. But I just couldn't. I just couldn't think of marrying anyone else. My family somewhat understood, but still wanted me to marry. But I couldn't. I held the only letter he ever sent me close to my heart. Soon Chiko-kun. I laid the letter by the tree. Soon we'll meet again. We promised. And this time, neither of us is going to break this promise.  
  
-Ruri-chan (2/01)  
  
*******************************************************************************  
So how was it? My first fic on this site. ^^  



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